


Of Stupid Mistakes and Kidnapped More-Than-Friends

by NovaBagel2334



Category: Sanders Sides, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, I'm not real good at this, Kidnapping (sorta?), M/M, bear with me, poor Virgil can't catch a break
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-13 21:41:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13579470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaBagel2334/pseuds/NovaBagel2334
Summary: He bacc and he attacc... Virgil, look out.In which Deceit has been quiet for awhile but comes back nonetheless.(This probably isn't that great, but I tried... Give it a chance..?)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm tired. I'm a little bit loopy. I'm hopped up on fangirl energy, and it's the only thing keeping me going. 
> 
> But hey! I'm INSPIIIIIII-REEEEED!!!
> 
> So here's a little thing I'll probably keep working on for awhile, even though I proof-read it very little and I kinda just let it fall out of my metaphorical mouth.  
> But it's something!
> 
> So enjoy, leave a comment if you please, kudos if you deem it worthy, and stay creative!

It had been a few weeks since Deceit had revealed himself, and Patton was alright despite being shoved deep into the Mindscape in order for the sneaky trait’s plan to work. Logan was in a tizzy for a good two minutes once the video ended, making a big fuss over Morality. But everything was pretty much fine as soon as the dad jokes returned. 

The Sides had a brief reprise, Logan educating the others in the ways of the minor traits. He was pretty much the only one who really knew of the others, and he had suspected something to have been wrong with Patton throughout the video. They were all interested to learn of the others that share the Mindscape with the four main traits.  
But then, Deceit struck again.

All was quiet in the Mindscape, the Common room deserted and all of the Sides in their respective rooms. Virgil wasn’t sleeping, though, unlike the others. He hadn’t been able to for awhile, knowing Deceit would come for him. You see, Virgil knew a little of the negative traits, him being one of them. And he knew that Deceit wasn’t going to leave them alone that easily, that he’d target Virgil next. Because after all, he could play the dark trait’s part better than he could play Patton’s, and the snake-faced fellow would be able to fit into the group and continue his surveillance. And maybe, just maybe, Virgil wouldn’t come back. maybe he would go back to where he had come from. 

He knew the others wouldn’t mind as long as Deceit did his job for him when he was gone. So he waited. And his contemplations came true.

“Hello, Anxiety.” The silky-smooth voice rippled through the heavy silence that hung over Virgil’s room. 

The dark boy backed up towards the wall, trying to distinguish were the voice was coming from. He tried to call out, to greet the intruder, to ask were he was, but his voice wouldn’t work. He wobbled a little on his feet, but took off without thinking. Yeah, he knew running was useless, but he did it anyways. Out his door, down the hallway and past the others’ rooms. Coming to the end of the hallway, he knew he was cornered. He called out, banging on doors, hoping one would open and help him. 

Roman had woken up due to a strange dream, hopping up to record it. However, a loud, sudden noise made him jump a few feet into the air, cutting through the quiet. It was someone banging on his door, yelling for help. He sprinted across the room, Flinging the door open to find Virgil standing their, poised to run with a terrified look on his face and tears in his eyes.

“Quick! In!” Roman yelps, grabbing his fellow trait by the arm and yanking him into the room, slamming the door. 

“Virgil, what’s-” The royal is cut off by Virgil clinging to him, shaking. And soon enough, Roman sees why.

An inky blackness floods his room, whirling about with streaks of yellow reforming into a familiar figure.

“Deceit!” Roman yells in realization, pulling the sobbing trait closer to him. 

“Why, yes! Hello Roman.” He grins. “If you would kindly let me speak to Virgil for a little…” 

The trait in question whimpers a little, striving to stay as far away from the snake-ish boy as possible.

“Whatever you need to say, you’re going to have to say it with me here, you villian!” Roman cries, shifting Virgil so he’s able to summon his sword and position it at the ready. but Deceit just grins.

“How brave… Our noble little prince protecting his damsel in distress. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a happy ending.” He smiles wider, but there is no warmth in it. Roman suddenly buckles, collapsing in a heap. Virgil keeps his footing but backs up a little, casting a worried glance at Princey. He turns towards Deceit, who is still grinning like a maniac, and stares him down. 

“Oh, what are YOU going to do?! You’ve lost most of your power. You are weak. Nothing like you were before, when you still stayed where you belonged. Come on, Virgil! Come quietly, back to where you came from. Where you matter! There’s nothing here for you.”

“No.” Virgil growls. 

“Pity! In that case… You’ll just have to be dragged back.” Deceit stops for a second, turning his head so the snake half of his face catches the starlight in Princey’s room, his yellow eye glinting.  
Then he lunges at Virgil, hands lengthening into lethal claws, slashing and hacking.  
Roman ducking to avoid the battling personalities. Virgil takes to dodging, just trying to hold his ground, looking around frantically for anything to defend himself. He doesn’t think fast enough, however, and Deceit slashes through the arm of his hoodie, shredding the fabric and leaving four long, deep scratches on his arm. Virgil cries out, Roman yelling something unintelligible, and Deceit continues to run circles around the his target in his mist form, occasionally solidifying to land strikes. Patton and Logan bust the door open just in time to see Virgil collapse, and then get swallowed into the inky mist, both disappearing and leaving Roman on the floor, limp and trembling.

“Roman? Roman, what happened?!” Patton cries, rushing to his side with Logan on his heels.

“Deceit… He… He’s back.” 

“And he took Virgil.” Logan answers grimly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've got to continue now! Look at all of that positive feedback!

Virgil woke back up from his teleportation-induced ‘nap,’ scanning his surroundings. it was a part of the mindscape he was unfamiliar with, but they were definitely still in Thomas’s head.  
It was dark. Very very dark. Little bits of light filtered through non-existent cracks in the ceiling, like the whole thing was some sort of virtual reality anomaly. He was reminded uncomfortably of the time the five tried VR, Virgil flipping out because he was sure that they’d have to deal with ALL of the side-effects on the packaging. 

“Oh, good, you’re up…” A sly, silky-smooth voice calls from the shadows. Well, really, the voice IS the shadows. Morphing back to physical form, Deceit grinning at him in his stupid top hat and half-snake face. God, Virgil hated that face.

“Unfortunately, yeah. So what’s the deal, gonna take MY place now? Probably won’t work too well… They all saw you take me.” He opted for the snarky option, even if he was trembling inside. 

“Oh, no… Though I will admit, I had considered it. After all, I could probably play you quite well, considering I know you inside and out…~ Deceit purrs, approaching the black-and-purple clad trait. Virgil just rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say, Cobra Bubbles.” 

“Ooh, I quite like that!”  
Virgil groans. 

“So, you never answered my question. Why the hell did you bring me here?” He knew his fear was starting to show, but he was doing his best to avoid giving Deceit what he wanted. 

“Hmm… I guess we’ll have to find out!” He answers, grinning like he had just won the lottery.  
Anxiety gives his kidnapper a neutral look. “What’s to stop me from leaving..?” 

“Oh, yes! That!” The grinning trait flicks his wrist, and Virgil falls against a wall and crumples to the floor. /Oh, yeah, those scratches.../ Virgil remembers, wincing as pain shoots up his arm. 

“Oh wow… Such imagination.” The dark boy scoffs. but his voice breaks halfway through the statement, because he knows what Deceit capable of. 

“I was wondering when your brave facade would drop…” the snake-ish trait crouching to the other’s eye level, who just tried curling in on himself but can’t move. 

“So, I’m thinking we need to play a little game of catch-up… How’ve you been, Anxiety?”

~~~

Roman was in quite a tizzy, to say in the least. Scouring the mindscape for what seemed to be a year, but it was really only a few hours. He reappears in the common room, collapsing on one of the couches with his heart pounding and tears in his eyes, though he would never admit that to the others.  
Patton sits beside him and begins assuring him that Virgil will be found one way or another, that they won’t lose him. But Prince is still in hysterics.

“It’s my fault, Patton! I should have protected him from that… That… That snake-faced FREAK!” The royal cried.

“Roman, that’s highly illogical and you know it. None of us could have done anything against Deceit. His power is beyond any of our own.” Logan calls from his room. He had kept up the search as well, spitting out algorithms, studying and rewriting maps in order to distinguish where the dark trait could have possibly gone. Even consulting Thomas had led to nothing, him feeling very at ease with no sense of urgency whatsoever. But what they managed to coax out of him wasn’t much. 

“I dunno, man! I can’t feel much of ANYTHING!” The boy had giggled. Logan sighed and sank out, Patton trying for a little longer. 

“Yes, Logan, I do know! But I still can’t help feeling that I FAILED HIM!” Roman wailed. 

“Well, even though I thought I’d never say this let’s look on the logical side… What clues do we have?” A neatly-combed-hair-and-glasses clad head pokes out from the doorway. 

“Let me contribute, please.” Logan states eagerly, sitting next to the two.

“So he’s not anywhere that allows him to connect to Thomas…” Patton starts.

“OR he may just be blocked.” Logan pipes up.

“But you’ve seen how strong he can be! He’d be crying out by now if he could!” Roman says, distressed.

“That’s true.”

“So that fact alone leaves… The upper levels, your kingdom, Roman, and… THOSE levels…” Patton worries.

Roman throws his hands up in defeat.

“Oh, Virgil, PLEASE! Please come back to us!” Roman cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously though guys, thanks for all of those comments and kudos-es! This has been published for, what, two days? MAYBE three? 
> 
> Well, I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Thanks for reading, and stay creative!~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, would you look at that. Another chapter. Wow!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed, stay creative!~

Patton had never seen Roman this distressed, and he had seen the Prince upset quite a lot. Between rejected auditions, artist’s block, and his dramatic ways in general, Morality had never quite seen anything to this severity. He was quite worried for the disney-loving boy. The trait was really taking Virgil’s kidnapping quite hard.

“Roman, come on. You can’t just sit here all day.” Patton says, entering Roman’s room and sitting on the bed beside him. He’s laying on his side, facing away from the door.

“I’m not. I was looking earlier today.” The royal says blankly.

“You’re tired, then?”

“Yeah.”

“Come eat. I was gonna make lunch.” 

“Fine.”  
With that, Patton leaves Roman with a pat on the back to collect his thoughts, and goes to fetch Logan.

“Logan, kiddo, c’mon. Come eat.” Morality knocks on his open door. 

“You DO realize that we are thoughts; we don't need to eat.” The teacher replies airily from his desk.

“Yeah, but I think we should just kinda, I dunno, take a little break for a little? We’re no use to Virgil exhausted. Besides, I think we should do some talking.

“Fine, but not for too long. I think I’m onto something.” 

“That’s fine, Logan,” Patton grins. “Quite alright.” 

~~~

Virgil has begun counting the hours that his captor is gone, crumpled in a heap against the wall still. Deceit had left, not saying were he was going, just that he’d be back soon. He couldn’t have been far, since the power keeping him limp was still all too intact. 

He was at maybe two or three hours in his counting when the other boy strode into the room from behind him. It really was a shame Virgil couldn’t see his only escape route.

“I’m back!~”

“Well, no shit.” 

“So! We’ve caught up, you in your weak friends and me with my planning… What would you like to do next?” Deceit grins. There's STILL no warmth in his smile, though. 

“Uhm, maybe go back to the main mindscape?” Virgil tries, rolling his eyes. 

“Oohoh yes! I forgot to mention! You really have no clue were we are, do you?”

“Not even remotely.” 

“Alright, well, I’ll give you a hint! We used to come here, well at least NEAR here all of the time!”

“Oh I get it. You’re trying to make me look back and laugh on good times.” Too bad those times really weren’t that great.

“Oh, well then, you’ve got me!~ Maybe just a little…” He purrs. Virgil tries to back up, forgetting that he won’t be able to make his muscles obey him. 

“You can’t say you don't miss them… Everything we had done before you fled like a coward and joined those three idiots…” 

“I’d say yeah, but then I’d be LYING. And lying is BAD.” He spat, referencing the video that shed light on Deceit’s involvement. 

“Oh, well that’s too bad… Hard way it is!” Virgil’s captor exclaims, hopping up and leaving again. Virgil sighs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all keep telling me to stop playing with your hearts… Pfft, too bad!   
> Get ready! >:D
> 
> Trigger Warning: There is short little mentions/actions involving graphic self-harm and torture, just a heads up...

“PATTON. PATTON, NO.” Logan shrieks, holding him back from the stove.

“Lo-gan! LOGAN!!! NO I NEED TO FIX IT!” Morality yelps, laughing, straining against the other’s grasp towards the over-boiling pot. "Just turn off the stove." Logan reprimands. Normally, Roman would join in the ‘fun,’ but it just didn’t feel right without Virgil’s snarky comments.   
Princey hadn’t known how much he really cared for the dark trait until he wa taken from them. It wasn’t fair.

So there he sat, sulking in his bedroom between his mindscape-flights. Thinking of where Virgil could be right now, and what was happening to him. If he was truly still with snake-faced Deceit, then it couldn’t be much good. Logan’s lead turned out to be a dead-end, and Roman’s nerves were absolutely frayed. And, quite possibly, they’d be worse if they knew what really was becoming of Virgil.

~~~

Virgil hissed in pain, screwing his eyes shut to ward off the tears. Deceit couldn’t see how much it hurt, because he was sure to only cut harder and deeper. 

“You know, this could have been so much easier…” The trait purrs, cutting another swirly pattern on Virgil’s collarbone with his knife-claw. He had Anxiety pinned upright to the wall, and had begun tracing his hands- well, now claws- across his pale skin, eventually pressing harder and harder, more than enough to draw blood.   
Deceit moved on, tracing random little patterns on his prisoner’s jaw and cheek, ever-so-lightly, teasing him. Then, he pressed, drawing droplets of blood to contrast on the poor boy’s skin. He whimpers, trying to struggle free.

“Oh come on Virgil! Don't pretend you've never cut yourself, never split those pale arms open just to see the red come to the surface… That you've never pressed so hard until all it does is tingle… You've grown so weak, love.” The trait in question glares at him.   
/Don’t you DARE bring that up./  
“But don't worry. We'll soon fix that…”

“Deceit, please… Plea-ase don't- ah!” He cries out in pain, trembling. 

~~~

Thomas wasn’t feeling it.   
What, exactly?  
Well, not much of anything. No urgency to keep uploading, no bother to reply to the Fanders’ comments.

“Thomas, you dead buddy?”  
“Are you alright? You’ve usually uploaded by now!”  
“Don't get stressed though, we’re here for you!”

He COULDN’T get stressed. Virgil was gone.

The three had popped in occasionally, checking on him and making sure he hadn’t offended anyone or caused any harm to himself or others. Patton had started spending more and more time in the real world, trying to gauge Thomas’s situation and hoping that it would somehow lead them to Virgil. No such luck yet, however. Morality’s light and happy side had slowly started to fade away, replaced by his more fatherly aspects. He had to stay strong for the others. 

Logan, meanwhile, was kicking himself over and over for what he hadn’t realized before. The anxious trait HAD to be in those lower levels of the mindscape, the levels reserved for the minor emotions. Particularly, the negative ones. These levels were sealed to unintentional output, shielding Thomas from the strength most of the traits that resided their possessed. Which would be precisely why they couldn’t locate Virgil nor Deceit from their place in the mindscape. They were right under their noses.

“Patton! Roman!” He yells, leaping up from his desk and sprinting out into the common room just as Patton pops back in from Outside. 

“I think I’ve got something… For certain, this time.” He pants.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy. Bonkers. You guys, over 50 comments and 100 kudos?! What?!  
> Thank you. So very very much.  
> Hope you enjoy this installment, stay creative, guys!~

“I think I’ve got something… For certain this time.” Logan pants. Roman immediately hops up from his seat on the couch.

“What?!” He cries, desperate and hopeful.

“Yes. So, I’m sure you both remember the Lower Levels?” Logan raises an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, but I’ve already checked there.” Roman says, dismay creeping into his voice. Was this just another dead end?

“Yes. But, you see, there are sections of these levels-” He points to a map of the mindscape to prove his point- “that we neither know about or are able to locate. Deceit quite possibly could have taken Virgil to an abandoned part and sealed it off from the rest. All we have to do now is locate were that room was supposed to be, and break the seal.” Logan explains. Roman is excited again.

“Precisely! So all we have to do is search out the maps and do some troubleshooting!” Princey yelps in excitement.

“Now, that would be great and all, but didn’t we stop mapping that place years ago, when they were out of control?” Patton questions.

“That’s where you’re WRONG!” Roman leaps up, bolting to his room. He comes back with scrolls of paper, at least 25 of them, and dumps them on the coffee table in the common room.

“Holy mack’rel, Roman!” Patton’s eyes light up excitedly. “What are they?”

“Maps! All of the mindscape… A lot of them are of the Lower Levels, too. After you banned us from going there, Logan.” Roman winks a little. “I knew they would come in handy!” 

Logan sulks a little, but is unable to hide his smile. 

“Well, I’m off! I’ll take a look around those levels and see if something doesn’t match up…” Roman is almost jumping up and down with determined excitement at the new possibility, scooping up his maps and sinking out.

“So, while Roman is busy with that, would you like to assist me in setting the commons straight?” Logan scans the area, things strewn about from both days without organization and Roman’s excited/upset rampages. The boy had seemed to have some sort of switch flipped in him.

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea…” Patton replies, his brow furrowed. then he laughs. “I hope you’re right, Logan…” 

“Me too, Patton, me too…” 

~~~

Virgil was left alone for the first time in awhile, gasping for breath and trying to remain conscious through the pain. His shirt and sweatshirt was soaked in blood, his everything screaming. He remained upright against the wall, staring at the floor as little scarlet drops slid off of his face and dotted the floor. It was the only sound in the dark room, the drIP drIP drIP of his blood splattering against the concrete ground. 

/Why… why does he have to do this.../ 

That was one of the only thoughts coursing through his mind between the spurts of pain that threatened to pull him into darkness.   
/No. I need to stay awake… I need to keep fighting.../ He gritted his teeth and hissed.  
/But why..? Are the others looking for me, or are they celebrating my absence?/ A darker part of him whispers.   
His thoughts are interrupted by Deceit sliding back into the room in his mist form. 

“Well, you're still awake… That’s a tad of a surprise, I'm not going to lie.” He says curiously. 

“Deceit, you’re the KING of lies.” Virgil spits weakly. 

“Well, dear, that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me in, well, quite awhile!” Deceit purrs. Virgil scoffs, closing his eyes. 

“Hm, be that way if you must. I DO have news, however…”

“And..?”

“Your pathetic friends think they’ve found us.” 

“Wha-what?” He gasps out. Virgil tries to hide his desperation and hope.   
/They ARE looking for me!/

“Yes.” Deceit scowls. “But little do they know, we aren’t exactly connected to there main paths anymore. Do you remember our little back-ways and hide-outs?” He smiles. 

/I can work with this../ His survival instinct is still screaming from inside him.   
“No. Remind me?” He drawls sarcastically.

“Trying to fool me, eh? darling, we both know you were always TERRIBLE at these sorts of games…”

“No, really, please.”

Deceit huffs, grinning as if he was going to tell him anyways. “Fine. Where we used to sneak off to when the others were being, well, them?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Virgil responds haltingly.

“Unwelcome memories, Kitten?” Deceit purrs. Virgil scowls.

“Do. Not. Call me that.” That was Roman’s nickname for him, and Roman’s only.

“Oh, how adorable. You really WERE his damsel in distress, weren’t you?” The half-snake cocks his head, a mocking glint in his eye as if he could read Anxiety’s mind. In reality, he probably could. Virgil doesn’t answer.

“Over me so soon? I’m touched.” And there it was. The unmentionable subject. Virgil still stays silent.

“It’s hilarious how much one person can change in so little time…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My GOODNESS you guys are too kind!
> 
> Enjoy!~

It had been weeks.   
WEEKS.   
Weeks since Roman had last seen his opposite alive and well. Weeks since he was kidnapped. Was he even still alive?   
The royal boy would never admit it to the others, but he was beginning to have doubts. But the question still stood, WHY? Why would a trait want to destroy his host from the inside out? Why did Deceit take Virgil in the first place? It wasn't fair. None of it was. At least, Roman thought so.

Patton was worried.  
Both for Rman, who was exhausted himself looking for the missing trait night and day, and Virgil himself. He knew what Deceit could do. He had witnessed it firsthand. So why? Why did he attack them again? What was he trying to do?

Logan was frazzled. Lack of restraint in both sleep, social interactions, and life in general had him exhausted. He liked things neat and orderly, and what was going on in Thomas’s Mindscape at the moment was FAR from that. He continued looking through maps, but at this point, he didn't see the need to. Sure, Virgil was vital to their functionality, but what good was it burning all of their energy looking for someone who COULD be dead? Logan didn't see the logic behind it. Therefore, this was were he stopped. 

“Patton, Roman, I'm sorry to say such a thing, but I think it's time me to move on. It's been weeks with no sign of Virgil, and Thomas isn't going to get any better if we continue to spend ourselves like that looking for him when he could be… You know… Dead.”

Roman threw his doubts aside in a fit.   
“Logan, I can't BELIEVE your nerve! Is he not worthy of being saved?! Of being sought after?!? He would do the same for us, I'm sure if it! So how DARE you give up on him. We all need him. You, me,” -voice crack- “Thomas, Patton. You can do what you please but I won't cease this search until I have found him, one way or another.”  
He jabbed the teacher in the chest with an outstretched finger as he drew himself to his full height. Logan sighed, adjusting his glasses and beginning to speak.

“Roman-” 

“No. 'Roman’ nothing. You would want us to do the same for you, if you were to be kidnapped by one if the most powerful Dark Sides.” And with that, he's gone.

“What in the name of puppies just happened.” Patton walks into the commons. Logan sighs.

“This has become more than it started as.”

~~~

Deceit was at it again with the 'knife’ play. Reopening old wounds and making new ones, both physically and emotionally. It was a miracle that he had lasted this long, and he was sure he would give out any second. Fade away into nothingness, cease to exist. Just GO. And at this point, if it happened, he would welcome it.

/Thomas./

There was that hopeful little voice, the stupid little spark that somehow managed to keep flickering. But it was nowhere near enough to keep him warm. 

“Hm, dear, what's on your mind?” Deceit purrs as he traces lines and shapes onto Virgil’s exposed collarbones with his knife-claw. He doesn't have the strength to answer.  
“The utter hopelessness of your situation and how easy it would be to just die?” He questions cheerily. Virgil squeezes his eyes shut against the pain if both that phrase and the new cut. 

“Or is it Roman perhaps… I still don't get what's so great about him… too bright and unrealistic all of the time… Don't you think?”

“No.” Is all Anxiety can force out. 

“To which bit?”

No answer.

“Oh, you used to be more fun! You know, like when we used to-”

“JUST… Don't…” He gasps out. Deceit pouts.

“Well alright. Whatever you say.” With the last syllable, he slashes out twice with his hand, searing a series of deep crimson cuts into Virgil’s sweatshirt, shirt, and skin. He screams.

~~~

Roman has taken to wandering the outskirts of the Lower Levels again, aimlessly kicking metaphorical cans and moping about, looking over hallways and rooms and cracks in the pathways once again that have already had eyes set upon them thousands of times. Absolutely nothing has changed.

Except, that is, for the silence. You see, screaming can really disrupt that.

His guard instantly shoots up, and he races towards the ear splitting sound. 

/It HAS to be him./

Muttering what could be considered prayers under his breath, the sound gets louder. And more frequent. Like the maker is getting stabbed over and over again. He hits a spot where it sounds like it's just on the other side of the wall, and freezes. 

It's empty.

No doors, no leading hallways, just empty. Three if the walls dissipate around him, and he’s left in an inky blackness with just the one dingy stone barrier. The scream erupts from him before he can stop it:

“VIRGIL!!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are wonderful, you know that?

“VIRGIL!!”

It has got to be another auditory hallucination. No one would ever come looking for him! But Deceit freezes, too. And the look in his eyes are almost masked fear. The trait stops with the knife play, his attention turned towards what Virgil had been assuming was the door to the room he was being held in.   
Anxiety relished in the burning sensations coursing through his veins, which were split in places, in swirly patterns that were created out of pure hatred.   
And the splitting was resumed again, his captor returning his attention to the pale boy bloodied and broken, held against the wall by invisible forces. In a strange sense of adrenaline and delusion-provoked rebellion, he let out a yell of pain, hoping to call the attention of whoever would listen. A sadistic grin spreads across Deceit’s face, but it quickly is replaced with a scowl when a loud crashing is heard from somewhere behind them. 

~~~

That yell settles it. Whoever’s behind that wall needs help. 

Summoning all of his strength, he slams himself shoulder-first against the wall. It gives easily, and he stumbles a little but keeps his balance, katana at the ready. 

“You.” Roman growls, deep in his throat. It was Deceit, his head poking out from behind a wall dividing the room in half. It looked ancient, like the inside of an old woodshack. The offending trait stepped out fully from behind the wall, his hands lengthened into pitch black claws. He scowled, looking from him to whatever had his attention from behind the wall, and vanished.   
A soft 'thump’ follows the evil trait’s disappearance, and Prince crosses the room and turns the corner in one, two, three, four quick strides. Tears spring to his eyes when he sees the previously missing trait, bloodied and broken and trembling on the wooden floor. The room itself starts to dematerialize, and Roman scoops up Virgil, who doesn't even have the energy to cry, much less MOVE, and whisks them out of their as fast as he can, holding the dark trait close to his chest. 

/Hold on, love… We'll save you yet, I swear on it./

~~~

“PATTON! LOGAN!” Comes Roman’s cry from the commons. The two rush towards the flamboyant trait, assuming the worst. But what they see both relieves and shocks them.

Patton nearly collapses, just barely managing to get himself to the two with Logan right behind him. The fatherly trait doesn't know what to say, and his hands hover uselessly over Anxiety, wracking his brains for what to do.

/Stop the bleeding./  
/No, wake him up!/  
/Make sure he doesn't go into shock./

He couldn't keep hold of himself. Bringing his hands up to his face, and sobbing. Once, twice, waterfalls. 

/Or… That, I guess.../

“Patton, it's alright… He's still breathing. I'll get him m patched up in no time, it'll be alright. I promise.” The royal says, flicking a semi-pleading look at Logic behind him.

/Calm him down… I'll make sure he's alright./

Logan nods and helps Morality up off of the ground, leading him to his room.

“Here, come on… Roman is perfectly capable of taking care of Virgil on his own. We'll go to help later, alright?” The teacher soothes. Patton just nods.

“He'll be alright, he's tough. We'll ALL be alright.” He says quietly, as if convincing himself more than the sobbing trait sitting next to him on the bed. 

“I hope so, Logan, I hope so…/


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot I ain't dead!
> 
> Please comment with feedback if you wish... I wanna see where you guys think I should go with this. I have ideas, of course, but I mean...
> 
> Thanks for reading, stay creative!~

Roman lays Virgil down on one of the sofas in the commons, careful with the trembling, broken boy. But when Roman goes to pull away to get some things to help his bleeding, Virgil latches onto his sash, clinging to him for dear life. 

“Shhh, Kitten, it's alright… It's alright… You're safe, and I'm just going get some things to help your bleeding…” Roman cards his hands through the hurt trait's matted hair, trying to calm him enough to slip out of his grasp. He succeeds, Virgil curling into a tight, shaking ball while Prince searched the kitchen for a first aid kit, or anything that could help him. He manages to find some bandages and a bottle labeled 'hydrogen peroxide’ in Logan's neat handwriting, to which he takes back to Anxiety, who is still curled up and trembling on the couch. 

“Hey… Shhh, shhh, you're safe… Can you sit up for me?” Roman says gently. Virgil nods a little, and sits upright next to Princey while he cleans his cuts and bandages them. He finishes, He leans back for a second, his gaze flicking from Virgil's unkempt hair, to his tear-filled, downcast eyes, to his broken-looking nose and his mouth, which Roman realizes hasn't stopped moving since he managed to get him back to the commons. He strains his ears, and he thinks he can make out a small “please let this be real,” repeated over and over again. He pulls Virgil in for a quick hug, and goes to get up off the couch to give the other two an update. 

“I'll be right back, okay? Promise…” Roman says when Virgil's eyes turn to him in a pleading expression. The fanciful boy tries to find even a trace of the snarky, sarcastic emo he was before those harrowing last few weeks happened. But it's like the trait sitting in front of him is merely a shell, the light gone out of his eyes and the fire from his spirit. 

Anxiety nods a little, still whispering to himself. He curls back up in his spot, and Roman turns down the main hallway.

He knocks on Patton's door gently, then pushes it open. There he sees the upset fatherly trait fast asleep, leaning against Logan, who's reading. He looks up, though, once Prince enters the room.

“How is he?” Logan whispers.

“Shaken, and badly hurt… But he'll be alright, I'm sure of it.” Roman answers. Logan nods. “And Patton?”

“Fine. Shaken, but fine. I managed to call him down, as is obvious…” Roman lets out a dry laugh. He knows they can both agree that Morality is adorable. 

“I'm going to go back by Virgil… Let him sleep, Lo. Come to think of it, you should get some rest too.” Princey states, taking Patton's role for a minute, and Logan sighs but shifts the sleeping trait so he's laying on his bed, and sits up against the frame just below him. 

“ I'll be in here if you need me. Don't be afraid to call.” Roman nods.

~~~

/No./  
/This isn't real. This is another one of those stupid VR things Deceit likes so much./

Virgil just can't get it through to himself that he might actually have been rescued. That this wasn't just some stupid lucid fever dream or an evil-snake-induced hallucination. So he sits there, curled up in the couch in the commons daring someone to show up. Literally anyone. And then wait for it to fizzle out and put him right back to where he had been for the last few weeks. But of course, the first person to walk back through that door is Roman, and he does one if those internal-collapse things that happened all the time when he was with Deceit. Him and his stupid promises. 

“Hey… Feeling any better?” He says softly. All Virgil can do is shake his head and start to reach out for his opposite, but he stops himself before he goes to far and scares Roman away. Just like he was sure he had done with every other shot he got in the past. But Roman actually SITS DOWN NEXT TO HIM, and hugs him again. And boy, is he thinking about throttling the stupid vision. If only he had enough strength to do more than shake his head and barely sit up. 

“You need to get some rest… You'll feel better in the morning…” Roman whispers, leaning back and looking straight into his eyes. Virgil breaks the stare. /Like the coward I am./

And before he can stop it, he utters a phrase he would be too anxious to say if he thought it was actually Roman in front of him.

“Stay with me… Please..?” But what's more surprising is his answer.

~~~

“Of course, Kitten…” 

He sounded so broken when he asked, and Roman is in no emotional shape to leave him out in the couch alone. Virgil was in no shape to deal with his room, and if he started going 'corrupted’ he wouldn't be able to help his broken more-than-friend. 

Shifting the now-surprised Virgil (who gives a little squeak and holds onto Roman for dear life when he realizes what he's doing) so he's curled up on top of Roman instead of sinking unintentionally into the couch, he conjures a thick blanket from his room and fenaggles it on top of them. Holding Virgil to his chest, he buries his nose in his hair and whispers goodnight. It takes an hour or so, but the broken trait’s breathing evens out and Roman dares to kiss him gently on the top of the head. 

~~~ 

“Oh Virgil… my sweet Virgil…” Roman’s muttering as he gently plays with the hurt trait’s hair. Only, he thinks Virgil is asleep. But he hears. He hears it all. 

If only he knew what to think.


End file.
